1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to flight simulation control apparatus, and more particularly pertains to the field of computer game controllers which are used for the control of games being played on a personal computer. In the present invention, the controller takes the form of a control yoke similar to the one used in actual aircraft with a control wheel, a forward and back movement mechanism, and a throttle. The controllers interface with the computer through the use of a game port on the computer. The game ports are of a standard design and are common on many computers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of flight simulation control apparatus are known in the prior art. A typical example of such a flight simulation control apparatus is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,523 which issued to John F. Bartucci and which shows the use of a flight simulator for the simulation of flight for the purpose of training. U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,490 which issued to George Derderian et al shows the use of separate steering and throttle controls in a flight simulation environment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,004 which issued to Wendell D. Chase shows the use of a control yoke in a flight simulator. U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,688 which issued to George Derderian shows the use of a control stick for the control of a flight simulator. U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,186 which issued to James F. Harvey shows the use of a control stick in a simulation environment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,407 which issued to Katsuki Manabe shows the use of a control yoke in a video game simulator. The yoke is used for control input and generates feedback to the operator. In addition to the above mentioned patents, there are known in the prior art devices called joysticks. These devices have a stick which connects to four directional switches. These switches control movement in four orthogonal directions.
While the above mentioned devices are suited for their intended usage, none of these devices discloses the instant invention, which provides a simple flight simulation controller with both a yoke for directional input and a throttle for thrust input to a video game. This controller can connect to the game ports of many computers and takes the place of two of the simpler prior art controllers which can only provide directional control. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of flight simulation control apparatus, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such flight simulation control apparatus, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.